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Publisher's Summary

The remarkable true story of a lone genius whose quest to unlock the science behind the perfect swing changed golf forever. In 1939, Homer Kelley played golf for the first time and scored 116. Frustrated, he did not play again for six months; when he did he carded a 77. Determined to understand why he was able to shave nearly 40 strokes off his score, Kelley spent three decades of trial and error to unlock the answer and to recapture that one wonderful day when golf was easy and enjoyable. In 1969, Kelley self- published his findings in The Golfing Machine: The Computer Age Approach to Golfing Perfection. The best-selling instruction books of the day required golfers to conform their swings to the author's ideals, but Homer Kelley configured swings to fit every golfer. He found an enthusiastic disciple in a Seattle teaching pro named Ben Doyle, who in turn found an eager student in 13-year-old prodigy Bobby Clampett. Clampett's initial success in amateur golf shined a bright spotlight on Homer Kelley and The Golfing Machine, but when the young star suffered a painfully public collapse and faltered as a pro, critics were quick to blast Kelley and his complex and controversial ideas. With exclusive access to Homer Kelley's archives, author Scott Gummer paints a fascinating picture of the man behind the machine, the ultimate outsider who changed the game once and for all of us.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful

1 out of 5 stars
By
David
on
04-13-16

This is a Biography, NOT a Golf Book

What was most disappointing about Scott Gummer’s story?

I should've read the title of the book and the reviews more closely, do not make the same mistake I did. This book is actually a biography of Homer Kelly, and his book the Golfing Machine. There is LITTLE TO NO MENTION OF A GOLF SWING, or golf coaching otherwise.

I had heard that this book was about perfecting a golf swing, etc., so I was interested to read to become educated on Kelly's philosophy on the golf swing. However, I didn't realize that this is not actually the book The Golfing Machine. This is a book ABOUT Homer Kelly, and his book. This book is in no way educational on a golf swing, or otherwise. In fact, you have to read 7 chapters of the book before it even mentions Kelly's philosophy on the actual golf swing.

Don't make the mistake I did. If you are looking for Homer Kelly's book on the golf swing, then get that book. This is Scott Grummer's BIOGRAPHY of Homer Kelly and his book.

Complete disappointment, and a waste of 7+ hours of my life. Don't buy this book unless you are looking for the biography of Homer Kelly.

I believe the title of the book is intentionally misleading to get you to purchase the book thinking you are buying Kelly's book... but you most certainly are NOT.

A most improbable tale

How does a guy with no playing ability, but with a talent for mechanical analysis and a drive to get answers, create a successful but difficult science (or more accurately a gigantic set of testable hypotheses?) where none existed before? This is the human side of the story - well told and well read.